GEIPAN
French space research unit (founded in 1977)
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GEIPAN (an acronym in French for Groupe d'Études et d'Informations sur les Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non-identifiés, or Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena Research and Information Group) (/ɡaɪˈpɑːn/) is a unit of the French space agency CNES based in Toulouse, whose mission is to investigate unidentified aerospace phenomena (UAP)[1] and make its findings available to the public.
Study and Information Group on Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena | |
Groupe d'Études et d'Informations sur les Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non-identifiés | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | GEIPAN |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1977 |
| Founder | Claude Poher |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Location |
|
| Leader | Frederic Courtade |
Key people | Yves Sillard |
Parent organization | French Space Agency |
| Website | geipan |
Formerly called | GEPAN, SEPRA |
History and developments
GEIPAN was founded in 1977 as GEPAN (Groupe d'Étude des Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non-identifiés, Study Group for Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena). Claude Poher was the inaugural director, under the permission[clarify] of then director general of CNES Yves Sillard.
GEPAN was renamed to SEPRA (Service d'Expertise des Phénomènes de Rentrée Atmosphérique, Atmospheric Re-entry Phenomena Expertise Department) in 1988,[2] and then to Service d'Expertise des Phénomènes Rares Aérospatiaux ("rare aerospace phenomena expertise department") in 2000.[citation needed] In 2005, the research unit was renamed to GEIPAN.[2]
The French Gendarmerie was instructed to channel data from reports of UFO sightings to SEPRA, which therefore was in a position to draw on a large database of such events. In cases where physical traces appeared to be present, SEPRA could call on the technical resources of CNES to perform a thorough scientific investigation. A famous example of such an investigation was the Trans-en-Provence Case.
In March 2007, GEIPAN started to make its archives available online to the public. The same year, French skeptics criticized the quality of their investigative work, arguing the sightings were too quickly filed as unidentified.[3] On March 26, 2007, the CNES' own report said that 28% of sightings remain unidentified.[4]
More recent reports of GEIPAN estimate the unidentified sightings at around 3%.[5][6]